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Information Services: 410-706-7995

Staff Profile

Tiffany Chavis, MSW, MLIS

Tiffany N. Chavis, MSW, MLIS

Health Literacy Librarian
tchavis@hshsl.umaryland.edu
410-706-4673

Current Role at UMB

As the Health Literacy Librarian at the University of Maryland Baltimore (UMB) for the Network of the National Library of Medicine (NNLM), my focus is on outreach and education. In this role, I foster partnerships, coordinate outreach efforts, and provide education programing for the region focused on consumer health, patient education, and health literacy. Some of the educational programing and services may include multi-modal instruction for classes, workshops, symposia, the creation of online guides and tutorials, etc. In addition, technical assistance and guidance is provided to organizations who have been awarded NNLM funding for projects within the region. The overall goal is to build partnerships and improve access to health information for medical professionals, librarians, and communities throughout the region.

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Education

University of Maryland Baltimore County                                                Baltimore, MD

BA - May 2005

Social Work (BSW) Minor: Women's Studies 

University of Maryland Baltimore                                                             Baltimore, MD

MSW -  May 2006

Concentration: Management and Community Organizing/Clinical

Specialization: Social Action and Community Development 

University of Maryland                                                                               College Park, MD

MLIS - December 2021 

Concentration: Archives and Digital Curation & Youth Experiance 

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Expertise

My career as a social worker spanned almost two decades. While I have an interest in macro-social work, I fell into clinical practice. I practiced in various areas, including mental health, medical, substance use, child and adolescents, homelessness, case management, program management, outreach, and forensics. I focused on stigmatized populations that are neglected or left behind, such as the poor, the illiterate, and/or uneducated. Additional outreach include those experiencing homelessness and those with experience with the criminal justice system. I worked closely with psychiatrists and other mental health professionals on treatment teams in outpatient mental health centers and psychiatric hospitals and units. I also worked closely with somatic providers in hospitals and clinics with patients that had complex medical conditions such as HIV/AIDS. Working with patients with behavioral health and/or somatic concerns always held a component of education. While treatment modalities vary widely, education for both providers and patients is the key to success and well-being. As I serve as a health literacy librarian, I continue to use my social work knowledge and skills and apply them to meet the health information needs of Region One.

I currently participate as a Tribal Advisory Board Member for Indigenizing Social Networks and Archival Context (SNAC) Advisory Board at the University of Maryland iSchool, in addition to other archival projects. I previously worked part-time at the Albin O. Kuhn Library and Gallery Special Collections Department at University of Maryland Baltimore County. There I was a Consulting Archivist for the Ashley Minner Collection, housed within the Maryland Traditions Archives. 

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Professional Affiliations / Activities

American Indian Library Association (AILA)

   Active member: 2021 - present

   Recognition Committee: 2022 - present

American Library Association (ALA)

   Active member: 2021 - present

Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries, and Museums

   Active member: 2022 - present

Maryland Library Association (MLA)

   Active member: 2021 - present

Medical Library Association (MLA)

   Active member: 2021 - present

Mid-Atlantic Chapter of the Medical Library Association (MAC)

   Active member: 2021 - present

   Diversity and Inclusion Committee: 2022 - present

Society of American Archivists

   Active member: 2022 - present

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Honors and Awards

2022 Member of The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi 

2020 - 2021 Library Systems and Services Scholarship, University of Maryland 

2012 Loan Repayment Award, National Health Service Corp

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